Tips for Making Great Compost with your RolyPig

Although the Rolypig will work satisfactorily when fed organic matter of most types, best results are obtained by observing the following tips ::

wet but not soggy :: Moisture and Microbes 101

The most effective microbes for converting organic wastes to high-quality compost are aerobic microbes. "Aerobic" means they consume oxygen. A soggy compost pile does not have enough oxygen to support your microbes. A long way of saying, add your kitchen wastes "wet but not soggy" and you will have active microbes (which also prevent foul odors). Not sure what "wet" means? Think lightly moist, like a wrung-out sponge.

Soak up excess moisture in your kitchen waste bucket by placing a layer of torn-up newspaper or even computer paper in the bottom of the bucket and empty this newspaper into the Rolypig with the rest of the waste.

Conversely, excessively dry materials should be well wetted.

Chop chop chop :: for faster Microorganisms digestion

Chopped or shredded material will degrade much quicker. Adding unchopped whole fruit items or sticks of wood will slow digestion. (sawdust when wetted is fine)

Mix any large lots of any one kind of waste (i.e. lawn trimmings) with other more structured waste to aid aeration. For example, larger amounts of lawn clippings can be well utilized by temporary stacking and then feeding to the Rolypig over a more extended period to produce useful compost.

Other wastes: the Rolypig Composter will compost newspaper and large paper based directories when shredded or torn up and thoroughly wetted then mixed in with normal kitchen and garden waste. This is a good way of retaining the plant nutrients present in newspapers and directories for use in your garden.

Additives :: Give nature a little boost

Give your RolyPig a good start by introducing the microbes necessary to begin “cooking” your compost. This can be as simple as adding some aged manure or good topsoil with the first few feedings of raw materials.

Other good nitrogen-rich starters are aged manure, alfalfa meal, cottonseed meal, or blood meal. These will help jump-start the microbes responsible for breaking down organic matter into compost.

Add hydrated lime to maintain a neutral pH for best digestion and low odor. Lime is also highly desirable in the composting process to reduce disease spread.

Earthworms: Red earthworms, commonly inhabit composters under favorable conditions. These worms are normally present in your garden. Specially reared earthworms can be introduced and may have a beneficial effect on the quality of compost produced and also may speed up the process. Such worms may not always breed successfully and so an annual top-up of worms will almost always be required. And remember, your kids will love to add the worms!

Compost activator can also be added to speed up the decomposition process.

Temperature :: warmer = faster

Place your RolyPig in full sun for faster composting.

Keep your compost cooking during the winter by placing in your RolyPig in direct sunlight.

If extremely cold weather persists, do insulate the Rolypig with the Rolypig cover blanket (available soon) or hay bales, as this helps maintain correct temperature.

If you have any tip or questions, we want to hear from you! We just love this new product and we are proud to help bring composting to families everywhere.